Leicestervs.Crystal Palace

Both clubs saw off lower-league opposition in the FA Cup third round over the weekend and could do with winning again to move away from relegation trouble.

Match preview

After losing five Premier League games in a row, Leicester put on an impressive performance in their emphatic 6-2 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

Ruud van Nistelrooy had not enjoyed a win since his first game in charge at the start of December, seeing his side go on the longest losing streak of any club this season.

Those five defeats saw the Foxes concede at least two goals on each occasion too, and even in victory, they still conceded multiple goals at the weekend, highlighting where their problems lie.

Unwanted history awaits too if they are unable to arrest that run, because Leicester have not lost six in a row while conceding at least twice in them all since 2001, and they are currently on the joint-worst run of clean sheets in Premier League history, with just two in their previous 43 outings.

It is also imperative that they end the losing run due to Ipswich Town's recent form that has seen them leapfrog Leicester, sending Van Nistelrooy's men down to 19th.

There is still just a two-point gap between themselves and safety though, with Wolves, Everton and upcoming opponents Palace still in the relegation picture.

Playing 24 hours before Ipswich can be advantageous if they are able to get a result here, putting the pressure on the Tractor Boys, who have taken four points from their last two games.

A win could see them move out of the bottom three altogether, but their goal difference of minus-19 means 16th-placed Everton are still out of reach this midweek.

Palace are only a few points further ahead, and continuing their fine home form against the Eagles could see that gap shortened, with Leicester unbeaten in four at home to their next opponents - winning three.

Leicester will also feel they should have won in the reverse fixture in September, throwing away a 2-0 lead to draw, with Jean-Philippe Mateta's injury-time penalty salvaging a point for Palace.

That extended a run of just one win in nine games in this fixture for Palace, but an unbeaten five-game streak away from home will give them confidence of improving on that here.

Just twice before in their top-flight history have the Eagles managed to go six games without defeat away from home, and they were both before the creation of the Premier League, showing just how impressive a feat it would be if Oliver Glasner's men can claim a result.

It will also be important to ensure they are not dragged back into the fight at the bottom, having now moved five points clear of the drop, and their three remaining fixtures this month will all be crucial.

Facing Leicester represents a great opportunity for three points, while out-of-form West Ham and Brentford come next for Glasner's side, but the Austrian will hope for a more convincing performance than the one which saw them get over the line against League One Stockport County in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Leicester City Premier League form:

D

L

L

L

L

L

Leicester City form (all competitions):

L

L

L

L

L

W

Crystal Palace Premier League form:

D

W

L

D

W

D

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

L

L

D

W

D

W

Team News

Leicester will remain without first-choice goalkeeper Mads Hermansen for this midweek outing, so Polish stopper Jakub Stolarczyk is set to deputise once again, with Danny Ward now out favour after his performance against Wolves before Christmas.

In front of Stolarczyk though, Jannik Vestergaard is a doubt after limping off against Aston Villa and subsequently missing the FA Cup tie with QPR on Saturday.

Kasey McAteer is back in full training though and will be in contention to feature here, after narrowly failing a late fitness test at the weekend, but Wilfred Ndidi, Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu remain out.

Palace are still missing Adam Wharton from their midfield, and he was joined in the treatment room by Will Hughes ahead of their last league outing, meaning Cheick Doucoure started alongside Jefferson Lerma.

Illness has swept through the camp over the last week, forcing Dean Henderson to miss the FA Cup fixture on Sunday, while Maxence Lacroix, Tyrick Mitchell and Mateta were all unused subs.

Should they recover, all four are expected to return though, especially Mateta, after another disappointing performance from Eddie Nketiah in attack at the weekend.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Stolarczyk; Justin, Coady, Faes, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Vardy

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Lerma, Doucoure, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Eze

We say: Leicester City 2-2 Crystal Palace

Leicester's inability to keep goals out at one end has often been made up for by the fact they have a number of players capable of scoring in attack, and they may have to rely on that again here.

Written by

Andrew Delaney

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